Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval World

Explore the transformative journey of Nasir Khusraw, a Persian poet and thinker who embarks on a quest for wisdom. After a prophetic dream, he leaves his secular life behind, traveling through diverse landscapes and cultures. His pilgrimage to Jerusalem unveils the city's beauty and historical significance, from breathtaking architecture to vibrant bazaars. With poetic reflections, he contemplates good deeds and the passage of time, weaving a narrative that blends spirituality with the richness of the medieval world.

Happy Holidays!This episode is about festive "medieval" poetry.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Andrews, William. At the Sign of the Barber's Pole: A Study in Hirsute History. Lethe Press, 2008. Cook, Megan. "Dirtbag Medievalism," Avidly. July 14, 2021. Eco, Umberto. Travel in Hyperreality. Harcourt, inc, 1986. Jackson, Sophie. The Medieval Christmas. The History Press, 2013. Scott, Walter. Marmion. Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1896. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Born in the 13th century, Pietro d'Abano was referred to variously as “the Great Lombard,” “the Conciliator,” and, in at least one case, a “great necromancer.” This scholar and physician faced various troubles relating to heresy or sorcery, and stories swirl around him of calling on demons or magically making spent coins return to his purse.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Browning, Robert. The Complete Works of Robert Browning. Ohio University Press, 2007. Garin, Eugenio. History of Italian Philosophy, Volume 1. Translated by Giorgio Pinton. Rodopi, 2008. Hasse, Dag Nikolaus. "Pietro d'Abano's 'Conciliator' and the Theory of the Soul in Paris," After the Condemnation of 1277: Philosophy and Theology at the University of Paris in the Last Quarter of the Thirteenth Century. Edited by Jan A. Aertsen, Kent Emery, and Andreas Speer. Walter de Gruyter, 2013. Prioreschi, Plinio. A History of Medicine: Medieval Medicine. Horatius Press, 1996. Tafu, Pedro. Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439). Translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Thorndike, Lynn. A History of Magic and Experimental Science Volume 2. Columbia University Press, 1923. Touwaide, Alain. "Pietro d'Abano, De venenis: Reintroducing Greek Toxicology in Late Medieval Medicine." Toxicology in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Edited by Philip Wexler. Academic Press, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Annales Fuldenses, or Annals of Fulda, is a source for 9th-century events in Carolingian lands: the incursions of the Northmen, fighting among the royal relatives, and omens in the sky. It also contains the story of an unfortunate village, an even more unfortunate villager, and the evil spirit that haunted both.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Source: The Annals of Fulda: Ninth-Century Histories, Volume II. Translated and annotated by Timothy Reuter. Manchester University Press, 1992. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of a 14th-century Flemish pirate, merchant, and adventurer, a man who took prizes at sea and took whatever side he needed to on land, crossing paths with various counts and kings as he went.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Barrell, Andrew D. M. Medieval Scotland. Cambridge University Press, 2000. Cushway, Graham. Edward III and the War at Sea: The English Navy, 1327-1377. Boydell Press, 2011. Holinshed, Raphael. Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Volume 5. J. Johnson, et. al. 1808. Lucas, Henry S. “John Crabbe: Flemish Pirate, Merchant, and Adventurer.” Speculum 20, no. 3 (1945): 334–50. Rose, Susan. Medieval Naval Warfare, 1000-1500. Routledge, 2003. Wilson, Ben. Empire of the Deep: The Rise and Fall of the British Navy. Orion, 2013. The Anonimalle Chronicle 1307 to 1334. Edited by Wendy R. Childs and John Taylor. Cambridge University Press, 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our 15th-century Spanish traveller goes home, mixing with the imperial elite along the way.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Source: Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our 15th-century traveller returns to Venice and goes overland into central and western Europe, making friends and catching up with some old ones along the way. He'll heal at the thermal baths, and there's talk of Bruges, Antwerp, medieval trade and textiles, and the fairs.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Abu-Lughod, Janet L. Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pedro Tafur ventures out from Constantinople to visit a sultan, an emperor, and the centre of the Black Sea slave trade.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Barker, Hannah. That Most Precious Merchandise: The Mediterranean Trade in Black Sea Slaves, 1260-1500. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Gregory, Timothy E. A History of Byzantium. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our 15th-century traveller dodges catastrophe on the Mediterranean and drops in on late-imperial Constantinople, where there's plenty of seafood and the roots of Pedro's family tree.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Gregory, Timothy E. A History of Byzantium. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Byron, Robert & Rice, David Talbot. The Birth of Western Painting. Routledge, 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As our Castilian traveller makes his roundabout way toward Mt Sinai, he finds ill-health but lots of help on Cyprus, while around Cairo he's struck by the street food and crocodiles.If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.Sources: Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Excerpta Cypria: Materials for a History of Cyprus, edited by Claude Delaval Cobham. Cambridge University Press, 1908. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices